Awning support



June 16, 1959 E. P. D'AZZO AWNING SUPPORT Filed Ja n. a, 1956 A F G. In %!,II\FI INVENTOR ERROL P. D'AZZO ATTORNEY .the brackets.

United States Patent 2,890,853 AWNING SUPPORT Errol P. DAzzo, New York, N .Y. Application January 3, 1956, Serial No. 551,014 Claims. 01. 248- 273) This invention relates to the art of awning supports, and particularly concerns a novel hooded awning support.

It has been conventional in the awning art heretofore to provide a plurality of brackets for supporting an awning on a building wall or the like. Such brackets are generally secured individually by suitable bolts to the building wall. Once the brackets are so located the awning head rod is clamped to the bracket by separate clamping means and the awning rafter bars are similarly secured to the bracket. The rafter bars are usually fastened to the fabric of the awning with lacing hands. after the bars are attached to If the brackets have been incorrectly .located or do not register in position with the lacing bands, either the brackets must be removed and reinstalled or the lacing bands must be relocated on the awning. These are very time consuming and difiicult operations. Another disadvantageous characteristic of prior known types of awning brackets is that they have been heretofore construoted with a multi-element head rod clamp employing with a bolt head or nut secured in a recess in the bracket. If such a bolt or nut became corroded the only way to remove the clamped head rod was to remove the entire bracket from the supporting wall and cut the corroded element out of the bracket. Such a procedure has always been difiicult, and time consuming, and wasteful of costly labor. Where hoods have been required for awnings, prior awning supports have utilized separate hoods which required. separate costly operations to install.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide as an integral unit a hooded awning bracket for supporting an awning head rod and awning rafters. i

It is a further object to provide a hooded awning bracket molding which may be fabricated in continuous lengths from several inches to many feet for supporting an awning head rod and awning rafters.

It is a further object of the invention to provide as an integral unit, a hooded awning bracket for supporting an awning head rod; the bracket having means for replacing a corroded clamping bolt and nut without removing the bracket from a supporting wall, and having means for supporting pivotably and laterally adjustable rafter bar. I .It is a further object to provide a hooded awning bracket molding which may be fabricated by rolling or by stamping processes.

It is a further object to provide a hooded awning bracket molding upon which an awning may be installed with a minimum amount of labor.

It is a further object to provide an awning support bracket with a curved shelf adapted to support a pivot- Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of awning support bracket.

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of a bolt and nut for locking an awning head rod in an awning support bracket.

In Figs. 1, 2 the awning support bracket 10 is a channeled rail member having a flat rear wall 11. At the bottom of the bracket is a U-shaiped channel 12. The outer wall 13 of this channel is bent upward in the form of a semi-cylindrical ledge or shelf which serves to support a rafter rod clamp assembly. Disposed at the top of the bracket and opposite channel 12 is a channeled eave or hood equal in length to the length of the rail member. The cave has an outwardly extending fiat portion 14. At the outer end of portion 14 is a pendent wall 15 with an outwardly bent or inclined end 16. Struck outwardly from the fiat Wall 11 are a plurality of bent or curved flaps or hooks 17. These :flaps are adapted to serve as a shelf or ledge for the head rod 20 of a fabric awning 21 which envelops the rod. The flaps may also serve to support pulleys (not shown) for retracting portions of the awning. In the fiat portion 14 of the cave is a horizontal cross slot portion which intersects a perpendicularly disposed pedestal slot portion in the pendent wall 15 to define the T-shaped slot 22. In this slot 22 fits a threaded nut and bolt assembly including nut 23 and bolt 24 shown best in Fig 4. The bolt 24 is threaded in aperture 25 in the nut. The nut 23 fits snugly in the horizontal cross portion of the slot While the bolt rests at the base of the pedestal portion of the slot 22. The T-slot permits mounting the assembled nut and bolt on the bracket by inserting the: assembly in the slot without separating the nut and bolt. A bolt 26 is passed through an aperture 27 in the fiat plate 11 and is anchored in the vertical wall 28. Other apertures 29 are provided if needed for additional bolts to support the bracket on wall 28. Spurs 30 are struck rearwardly out of plate 11 and serve to anchor the bracket more securely on the wall 28. The bracket may have any desired length from a few inches to many feet. Hooks 40 may be struck out from wall 11 and to serve as alternate supports for pulleys (not shown) used for retracing portions of the awning. Slots 22, flaps 17, apertures 27, 29, hooks 40 and spurs 30 will be repeated every few inches or feet or at such intervals as required.

The rafter bar clamp assembly secured to the ledge 13 includes a curved plate 31 having a curvature to fit a hollow rafter bar pipe 32. A curved plate 33 having its axis of curvature perpendicular to the axis of curvature of plate 31 fits over ledge 13. Plate 33 is integral with plate 31. The curvature of plate 33 corresponds to that of ledge 13. Another plate 34 corresponding in curvature to plate 31 is oppositely disposed thereto on pipe 32; and the plates are secured together by a bolt 35 which passes through apertures in both plates and is engaged by nut 36.

The plate 34 has a bent, inwardly extending portion 37 which abuts the concave side of ledge 13 when nut 36 is tightened. Since plate 33 is curved like the convex side of ledge 13, the rafter bar clamp assembly can be adjusted as showrrby arrow 38 to dispose bar 32 at any desired angular position with respect to plate 11 and wall 23 before nut 36 is tightened. The awning section pendent from the head rod 20 will be attached to the rafter bar 32 in a suitable manner with a lacing band (not shown). The awning head rod is held on flaps 17 by the inner end of bolt 24 threaded in plate 23. The outwardly curved end 16 of Wall 15 prevents tearing or cutting the awning fabric as the head rod 20. is adjusted in the flaps 17.

In Fig. 3, the bracket 10has a continuous fold in the wall 11. j

The brackets 10, 10' may be formed of cast aluminum shelf 17' formed by a steel or other suitable metal. A particular advantage of the "construction is that it can be fabricated in rails of extended length which will minimize its cost. The several apertures, flaps and spurs are punched or struck out at regularly spaced intervals.

In use the ledge 13 supports a plurality of rafter bars 32 and the shelf 17 or 17' supports the head rod 20. The extended length of the ledge 13 makesitpossible to adjust the positions of the bars 32 laterally and pivotally and then to fix them merely by tightening nut 36 in a locked angular position in a manner not possible with prior known awning supports. The cave or hood formed by portions 14, 15 and 16 serves as a cover to protect the head rod and the scam I at the end of the awning fabric from rain and dust. In addition the cave or hood serves as a support for bolt 24. The bolt 24 wedges the head rod 20 on self members 17 with the bolt body pressing against the cave and the rounded point of the bolt forcing the head rod against the shelf 17 or 17', to provide a restricted passage and a clamping means for the head rod. When the bolt 24 is tightened, the threaded bolt shoulders the nut against the pendent wall 15, with the bolt body pressing against the cave. It is not required to detach the nut 23 and bolt 24 if the awning 21 and head rod 20 must be removed. Merely loosening bolt 24 will allow sufficient space under the cave for the rod 20' to clear flaps 17 or shelf 17. When the head rod is replaced, tightening bolts 24 will lock the head rod and awning on the support bracket by wedging the rod between the rounded ends of bolts 24 and the supporting shelf 17 or 17'. To remove or replace a bolt 24 it is not necessary to unscrew it from nut 23. The bolt and nut assembly can be lifted out of the T-slot 22 in a simple upward movement. To replace a corroded bolt in the T-slot 22, it is only necessary to unscrew the bolt and lift out the nut and bolt assembly 23, 24 and replace with a new nut and bolt of standard manufacture similar to that shown in Fig. '4. This simple replacement procedure is not possible with prior known awning head rod holders using conventional bolt and nut clamping means.

What is claimed is:

1. An awning support comprising a rail formed with a fiat apertured wall for securing the rail to a vertical support, said wall having an outwardly extending hook there- 'on for supporting an awning head rod enveloped in an awning fabric, a hood overhanging said hook and formed 'on said wall and having a length equal to the length of said "rail, said hood having a flat portion extending outwardly from said wall and a pendent wall portion depending from said flat portion, said pendent wall portion having a free edge spaced from said hook a distance -greater than the diameter of said head rod to provide a rain and dust shelter for said head rod and enveloping awning fabric, said hook having a T-shaped slot formed therein, said slot having a cross slot portion formed 'in said flat portion of the hood and a pedestal slot portion formed in the pendent wall portion, said pedestal slot portion being adapted to receive the shank of a bolt threaded in a removable nut and extending under said flat portion, with the nut supported in and engaged in said fan awning fabric, a hood overhanging said hook and formed on said wall and having a length equal to the length of said rail to provide a rain and dust shelter for said awning head rod and enveloping awning fabric, said hood having a flat portion extending outwardly from .said wall and a pendent wall portion depending from said "fiat portion, said hood having a T-shaped slot, said slot having a cross slot portion formed in theflatportion of the hood and a pedestal slot portion formed in the pendent wall portion, a nut removably supported in said cross slot portion against turning movement, and a bolt having a shank threaded in said nut and extending through said pedestal portion and under the flat portion of the hood to wedge the awning head rod against said wall between said shank and said hook.

3. An awning support comprising a rail formed with a flat apertured wall for securing the rail to a vertical support, said wall having "an outwardly extending hook thereon for supporting an awning head rod enveloped in an awning fabric, a hood overhanging said hook and formed on said 'wall, -said hood having a flat portion extending outwardly from said wall and a pendent wall portion depending from said flat portion, said hood having a T-shaped slot, said slot having a cross slot portion formed in the flat portion of the hood and a pedestal slot portion formed in the pendent wall portion, a nut removably supported in said cross sl'ot portion against turning movement, and a bolt having a shank threaded in said nut and extending through said pedestal portion and under the fiat portion of the hood to wedge the awning head rod against said wall between said shank and said hook.

4. An awning support comprising a rail formed with a flat apertured wall for securing the rail toa vertical support, said wall having an outwardly extending '"hook thereon for supporting an awning head rod enveloped in an awning fabric, a hood overhanging said hook and formed on said wall and having a length equal to the length of said rail, said hood having a flat portion extending outwardly from said wall and a pendent'wall'portion depending from said flat portion, said hood having a plurality of spaced T-shaped slots, each of said slots having a cross slot portion formed in the flat portion of the hood and a pedestal slot portion formed in the pendent wall portion, said pedestal slot portion being adaptedto receive and support the shank of a bolt threaded in a nut and extending under said flat portion of the hood'with the nut removably supported in and engaged in said cros's slot portion against turning movement of the shank in the nut, the turning movement of the shank serving to wedge said awning head rod against said wall between said shank and said hook.

5. An awning support comprising a rail formed with a flat apertured wall for securing the rail to a vertical support, said wall having an outwardly extending hook thereon for supporting an awning head rod enveloped in an awing fabric, a hood overhanging said hook and formed on said wall, said hood having a flat portion extending outwardly from said wall and a pendent wall portion depending from said fiat portion, -said hood having a plurality of T-shaped slots, each of said slots having a cross slot portion formed in the fiat portion of the'hood and a pedestal slot portion formed in the pendent wall portion, a nut removably supported in one cross slot portion against turning movement, and a bolt having a shank threaded in said nut, said shank being supported in and extending through said pedestal slot portion and under the flat portion of the hood to wedge the awning head rod against said wall between said shank and said hook.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Treifei'sen res. 6, T940 

